Hanging Pieces!

One of the most important things in chess is knowing when a piece can be captured and when it can’t!

A “hanging piece” is a piece which is undefended and can just be captured for free! Which piece could Black capture now for free?

Yes! The bishop was attacked by the queen and not guarded by any of White’s pieces. If you thought about taking the c3 knight, that would’ve been a big mistake since it’s defended by White’s b2 pawn.

Another kind of hanging piece is one which is defended, but is worth more than the piece that will capture it. What should White do here?

Very good. If all it costs is our bishop, we’ll happily capture that queen!

Sometimes people forget that the king can capture pieces too. Yes, he needs to be kept safe, but that doesn’t mean he can’t take pieces!

Great move. The knight was “hanging,” and the king got him!

Remember, there are three ways to get out of check: moving the king, blocking, or capturing the checking piece. Sometimes it’s easy to forget to capture.

Yes! White was in check by the bishop on f5, and the ways of blocking or moving the king were no good. But luckily for him, he could capture the bishop! Sometimes capturing by moving a piece “backward” is harder to see. 

Black was in check himself and recaptures the bishop.
White got out of check, and now has a chance to capture one of Black’s hanging pieces. Can you find it?

Chomp! I’ll take that queen!

Sometimes, a player is lucky enough to be able to capture two, or even more, pieces. In that case, you have to choose the best deal! Which piece should White capture here?

Good choice! Even though the queen was guarded, it was still best to capture her, since she is so valuable. White will lose the knight on c7, but the queen is worth it! Capturing the bishop was not as good. Using your bishop to capture the pawns on a6 or h7 would be a bad deal, since Black would just recapture your bishop.